Earl Shi
'''Earl Shi' was a Great General from the State of Wei and a member of the Seven Fire Dragons. Before becoming the heir of his family, his name was Shi Ei. Appearance Earl Shi was an average-sized man. He has long hair and looks quite young for a man who has been a Great General for more than 14 years. Personality According to Rei Ou, Earl Shi was an emotionless man devoid of desire, ambition, color, and senses, with his only emotional support being his younger sister Shi Kika. From what was seen, Earl Shi was mostly a silent man only speaking when spoken to. In combat, he appears to be relaxed while mowing down his enemies. He had a vindictive side to him as shown when he personally killed three of Wei's Fire Dragons including Tai Ro Ji, who was responsible for his sister's death and the previous Shi Haku which is his father. With the loss of Kika, he became little more than a cold and heartless spear-wielder, without a single weakness to exploit. It can be presumed that after Shi Kika was killed, Earl Shi longed for death. Just before dying his last thoughts were of Shi Kika and going "home", indicating he had found living to be pointless and that death was his way to see his beloved sister, with his last words being: "Finally...I return..." before falling off his mount. History Earl Shi, Shi Ei at the time, was the stepchild of the previous Shi Haku. His mother followed into the previous Shi Haku's household. Where he met Shi Kika another stepchild brought in by a different woman. Both of then lost their mothers to a passing epidemic, leaving them to be shunned by the rest of the household. Earl Shi was told to "hurry up and die" and continued to be sent into the fiercest battles, time and time again. Whereas Kika was tormented at the estate on a daily basis. At the age of 15, he was accustomed to being the sole survivor of these clashes, and he had also killed a great number of foes numbering over five hundred. In the end, the previous Shi Haku was not able to father a child, and his legacy was passed on to Ei. Not only that, Earl Shi would go on to become a great general worthy of the Wei Fire Dragon name, whereas Kika had grown into a beauty whose name resounded throughout the royal capital of Dairyou. One day, Earl Shi and Kika asked the previous Shi Haku for permission to marry, to which he refused. The refusal was simply out of hatred, Shi Kika and Shi Ei's relationship was already well known by that point and no one would have opposed the marriage. The previous Shi Haku could not stand the thought of Earl Shi, a man who shared none of his blood, obtaining everything he desired. Earl Shi being the man he was, hastily declared that he was willing to give up even his fire dragon rank if his wish was not fulfilled. When out at a balcony that overlooked Dairyou, Earl Shi told Shi Kika that the moment he returned from his next campaign he would take her as his wife. During the campaign, Earl Shi received an urgent message from his family's estate. The previous Earl Shi had married Shi Kika off to Tai Roji of the Wei Fire Dragons. Tai Ro Ji was famous for being a "wife-killer", despite the fact that he had only killed those deemed unworthy of being wives. Refusing to give up her love for Earl Shi, she was cut down by Tai Ro Ji. Enraged, Earl Shi cut down the previous Shi Haku. He gathered two of the other Fire Dragons Gai Mou and Rei Ou and waged war against Tai Ro Ji along with Shou Sen and Ba Tou, two Fire Dragons who sided with Tai Roji. Ultimately, it was Earl Shi himself who'd single-handedly slew the Three Fire Dragons. As punishment, Earl Shi, Gai Mou, and Rei Ou were supposed to be executed, but due to Go Kei swaying the king of Wei, they were incarcerated in an underground prison instead. There they remained for the next 14 years until the battle of Chiyoyou. Story Fire Dragons of Wei Arc Go Hou Mei called Earl Shi as well as Gai Mou and Rei Ou to assist him in the war, against a Qin Army being lead under General Tou. After not participating in the battle the first two days, on the 3rd day after a big offensive attack from the Gyoku Hou Unit which was leading one of Qin's 3 armies, Earl Shi came to the battlefield and started participating in the battle. He was finally slain by Ou Hon of the Gyoku Hou unit, when he noticed that Earl Shi possessed no self-preservation, thus allowing Ou Hon to pierce him with one brutal thrust. While noticing Shi Kika's presence behind him as he dies, he silently noted that at long last, he could finally return home to Shi Kika's side, where they could both be happy. Abilities Earl Shi is said to be Wei's best spear wielder and widely considered the best in China. His mastery of the spear is said to be so great that he is able to deal with grievous blows to the point his enemies are incapable of noticing that they've been struck. Spearsmanship: Earl Shi's techniques were self-taught through sheer combat experience. Unlike Ou Hon's spear technique which emphasizes "accuracy", Earl Shi's spear seeks the "power" to bring down a foe with a single blow, mimicking overpowering destructive power. This is due to him being sent to the brutalist of battlefields from a very young age and moving down countless masses of enemies in the past. At the age of 15, he already killed over 500 enemies and since then he kept receiving more experience under extreme circumstances. It is also said that his skills didn't grow rusty, but rather he surpassed his form from the last decade despite being imprisoned for 14 years. His spear skills were strong enough to even overpower Ou Hon, another talented spear user. His movements were hard to predict and Ou Hon noted that the Earl was above him in terms of speed, weight, and strength. Perhaps his most impressive achievement is single-handedly slaying three other Fire Dragons: Tai Ro Ji, Shou Sen, and Ba Tou during the internal conflict. Tactical abilities: Earl Shi also showed some considerable tactical skills as he was able to use war chariots as a decoy to attack the Gyoku Hou Unit infantry and after that, he used his reserve troops to cut off the enemy's retreat and slowly surround them. Earl Shi possessed only one weakness: the fact that he is a human being who has rejected the notion of "living," lacking the instinct of self-preservation. All humans, by nature, will protect their own vitals out of reflex, but as he didn't have that, against Ou Hon's ability to penetrate a single point, that was a fatal weakness. Techniques * Dragon's Talon Gallery Manga Trivia * Before becoming the heir of his family, Earl Shi's name was "Shi Ei". Category:Deceased Characters Category:Male Category:Wei Category:Great Generals Category:Wei Great Generals Category:Earl Shi Army Category:Seven Fire Dragons Category:Cavalry Category:Spear Users Category:Commanders-in-Chief